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Info Absolution (Summary - List of stories) . The Wounded Hawk << previous act | Act 3 of 4 | next act >> Attempted Quarantine << previous chapter |''' Chapter 28 of 39 | next chapter >> << previous scene | '''Scene 1 of 2 | next scene >> Summary * Location: *Participants: *Time: *Summary: Text The news was grim: Celestia wasted no time the moment Hevatica made her report to send out an alarm to Canterlot and the Starlit Knights, warning Equestria of the impending threat. Even if it was clear Cancer was guiding his monstrous 'bride' right to their doorstep, intent on revenge, there was no telling how the bug-like creatures Hevatica reported would act, and to what lengths they would go to try and attain food. The moment Sleipnir and Pinkamena returned, Celestia sent the demon to Subterra to request further reinforcements from Selene and dragged Sleipnir into a tactics meeting. Sleipnir had only complained once about being covered in goo before he consented to helping, showing how serious the situation truly was... and making a lump form in Celestia's stomach out of fear for what they were up against. Sleipnir, after all, had run laughing into battle against Tyrant Wyrms. With the aid of both Sleipnir and her scrying mirror, Celestia was able to isolate several choke points in the route the monster would likely approach them from. With her mirror, she was also able to get a glimpse of the beast they were up against... but the shape of the awful thing was horrifying, caught only in patches, so large and with so many Takers swarming around it that Celestia was unable to see anything except that the hideous thing was so enormous it would tower over even dragons. Pinkamena was the only one who seemed to find anything to smile about ironically enough, taking a strange pleasure in the fact they had adopted her name for the monstrosities. She returned from Canterlot with Aphrodisia with good news, however, that lightened the mood a little: Selene would come herself to help preparations, and with as many demons as she could gather. Celestia was already making plans, estimating the speed of the monster, keeping an eye on the swarm through both her scrying mirror and a Pegasus watchpoint she had ordered set up on the clouds above Ponyville, high, high in the air above, and developing where they could best attack. Discombobulation was following her around, carrying an armload of papers and supplies for her and looking unnerved by the recent turn of events, while Zecora and Meadowlark were hurriedly mixing up potions and salves for those who would be involved in the battle ahead. Celestia estimated that the monster and its horde would reach the first choke point in the mountains by early afternoon tomorrow. Since her attempts to contact the Strange Ones' village had failed, she thought she had confirmed the theory put forwards by Sleipnir: Cancer had destroyed the Strange Ones, captured the imprisoned Queen Chrysalis, and mutated her into the monstrosity now marching against them. Celestia didn't want to think about how powerful Cancer truly was if he could perform such a dark, miraculous transformation... and she shivered despite herself, taking a moment to breathe as she shook her head out and muttered: "Nothing miraculous about it, no..." "You're thinking about things that should not be again, Celestia..." Discombobulation said quietly from behind her, and Celestia closed her eyes, breathing slowly. Her armor gleamed over her body in the darkness... not that it was all that dark. It was the dead of night, but all of Ponyville was lit up with preparations for war, Nibelung running back and forth, demonic reinforcements marshaling outside the walls, organizers and administrators heading to the library and the first regiment of Starlit Knights sent from Canterlot as further aid and reinforcements just arriving. It was noisy, lanterns burned brightly, and Celestia could feel time slipping steadily away between her hooves like sand. All the same, she forced herself to calm down and breathe a little, turning around to look up at Discombobulation as he shifted a bit, looking at her with honest concern on his features. She smiled faintly after a moment at him, then said softly: "We're all what we're not, aren't we?" "I couldn't've put it better myself." Discombobulation replied gently, then he shook his head a little and said hesitantly: "Maybe it doesn't mean much, coming from me, even now... but you are already strong enough to deal with things. I believe in that, and I believe in you, as much as I believe in unicorns and mad hatters and wonderland. You aren't a monster. You're a monster slayer." Celestia looked away, then she nodded a little before saying quietly: "It means more to me, coming from you, Discombobulation, than you'll ever know. I need you standing beside me on the field today... even if you don't fight. Do you understand?" "I understand, and am honored and a little insulted. Of course I'm going to do my best to fight beside you, even if I happen to be the as useless and difficult to master as Momoko. What's the punch button do again?" Discombobulation paused, then leaned forwards and looked over Celestia meditatively. "You? You're more like Samus Aran. Before the fans started howling over the betrayal of her characterization in that one game. But I've never seen you roll up into a little ball, can you do that, Tia?" "You should know I'm very flexible by now, Bob." Celestia replied with a bit of a smile, and the Draconequus cleared his throat loudly before the ivory winged unicorn shook her head slowly, hesitating for only a moment before gesturing towards the library. "You're right, though. I shouldn't be wasting my time out here. The Starlit Knights will inform me if something changes, let's head to the library to discuss the plans with the others." "Good. Sometimes taking a step backwards in taking a step forwards." Discombobulation said gently, and Celestia nodded slowly in agreement as she turned, heading calmly down the street with the Draconequus in tow, blue-armored soldiers, ponies, and other entities hurrying past in groups as they fortified Ponyville and went about the many other tasks that had to be seen to. "Also, Celestia, while I'm sure this is going to sound a little cowardly... are you sure you want to put so much weight and emphasis on trying to stop Frankenstein and his evil bride at the first of three possible ambushes?" A pause, and a grumble. "Wait, should have gone with a Bride of the Monster reference there. Comparing Cancer to the creature of the Modern Prometheus makes me feel like I'm comparing McGonagall to Shelley. Uh. Percy, not Mary. Confusing, I know. I bet they could put on a hell of a poetic duel with Luna and Scrivener Blooms, though... although I'm not sure who I'd put my money on. Luna only wishes he could write like either Shelley but I'm not sure their words would be powerful enough to stop Scrivener Blooms from simply beating them into the ground and declaring herself the winner." "I've always liked that you refer to my sister and my brother like that, Discombobulation, by each other's names... for some reason, it... it's always carried a strange reassurance." Celestia said softly, glancing over her shoulder at the Draconequus as they approached the library door... and then she hesitated before adding quietly: "Thank you for always knowing... when to distract me from my own thoughts. I don't deserve your kindness." "You deserve that and much more." Discombobulation replied gently, and then he winced when Celestia looked up at him pointedly, before grumbling and leaning down, making a face as Celestia leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Maybe Freud was right. I have a feeling you'd be like my mother, if I had a mother." Celestia only smiled again, then she flicked her horn to open the door and stride inside, Twilight looking up with relief as she stood up, saying quickly: "We were just trying to settle on our plans, Celestia... we could really use your help." "Aye, nothing is better than thy sharp and terrible mind, big sister." Sleipnir added from where he was sitting beside Antares, before the enormous stallion smiled benevolently as he reached up and ruffled his nephew's mane, making him blush. "But Antares is beginning to show quite an excellent eye himself, and I only hope he stays much less scary than thou art." At the other end of the table, a little apart from everyone else, Selene slowly rose her head with a soft smile, her dark, galactic eyes seeming to shimmer strangely as she said softly: "Do not fear... Antares' path is very different from the one the Dawn Bringer walks. Is that not so, Valkyrie?" "It is." Celestia said quietly, as she strode towards the table and glanced back and forth: Zecora, Meadowlark, Prestige, and Greece were all in attendance as well, and the ivory winged unicorn took her seat between the dwarf and the Nephilim as she asked gently: "How's Cowlick holding up?" "She's..." Greece hesitated, looking out over the table, and then he sighed a little at the quietly-insistent look that Antares gave him. "She's not well. Crazy mare was already back in the laboratory earlier this evening, but... even though she knows how to do things, it's like her hooves have forgotten how to work, fancy-corn. I thought at first it might be just her memory, something temporary... but when I suggested that, she yelled the entire construction process for the small engine she was trying to piece together at me and then said she just... couldn't..." He quieted, and Zecora shook her head slowly, saying softly: "There's no magic potion that can give her that back... we'll only have to hope it's a temporary loss of track. Where is she now, Greece, Artificer? She's not still in the labs amidst such an emotional twister?" "No, no. Thankfully, Ross came by, picked her up and brought her back home..." Greece shook his head and laughed a little after a moment. "It's funny to think of, but he really does just as good a job at taking care of her as she does of him. I've heard from a few sources that the Cowlick we know is much easier to work with than the Cowlick of the past." "Yeah, I can believe that. I just hope she's okay." Twilight murmured, but then the Lich shook her head, smiling a little as Discombobulation sat himself down beside her before she gestured over the rough map laid out over the table: it was little more than a large sheet of paper that several distinct marks had been drawn on, with a bit of roughly-drawn territory around each of these points. "Look at this, though. We've drawn this up quickly and illustrated the choke points, and we were wondering if we should redistribute the attacks... if we concentrated our ambush at the second point..." But Celestia only shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "I appreciate your desire for caution, but the most effective place we can strike is at the first choke point on the map. Does anypony know if the estimated time of arrival for the monster has changed? And are there any signs of Cancer's presence?" "He's there." Antares said quietly, before he could stop himself, and then he blushed and shook his head hurriedly when Celestia and most of the other eyes around the table glanced towards him. "Sorry, Aunt Tia. I... no. And Mom's been keeping track of the rate the monster's moving at..." "No changes since ten minutes ago. We're checking every half hour, and we'll check every fifteen minutes before we leave." Twilight replied quietly, and Celestia hesitated, then nodded slowly when the Lich gave her a quiet look. "We're going to go in as prepared as possible, Celestia. But why is it so important that we hit it at the first area? This... isn't just about revenge, is it?" "No, I... no." Celestia looked up, then smiled a bit and shook her head slowly. "I promise that it's more than that, and more than wanting to be out on the field myself, as part of an aggressive assault force. I honestly believe it's our first and greatest chance to stop the monster, and hopefully put a stop to Cancer as well. Furthermore, at that distance, once their Queen is dead the rest of the Takers may either disperse or may settle into the area, but that's assuming we're able to eliminate Cancer as well or they don't try to follow him, as he apparently commands this monstrosity." There was quiet for a few moments, Celestia lowering her head in thought before she said softly: "Our plan of attack is simple and direct. This section passes through mountainous terrain, and the straightest route towards us is over a natural highway of stone that crosses a gorge: the highway itself is heavy and wide, and the mountains on either side of the region form a natural wind tunnel. We'll exploit this: we should be able to create a tempest powerful enough in that area to force the Takers to the ground. They may attempt to rush us, but we should be able to hold their forces back if they're only able to come from one direction and forced to do so over ground. And when the Queen passes onto the bridge, we blow it out from under her with a mix of magic and explosives provided to us by Greece and other Nibelung." Twilight nodded hesitantly, before Celestia closed her eyes and said quietly: "But it will require a very powerful force to ensure the success of this attack, yes. Myself, Twilight Sparkle, Sleipnir, many demons... and Antares, if you're willing, I could use your aid as well to marshal the forces. Both demon and Starlit Knight respect you and will listen to you, especially acting as a lieutenant passing on my orders. It would be greatly appreciated." Antares nodded slowly, swallowing a little as he shifted at the thought of this responsibility, but Celestia smiled at him reassuringly after a moment, raising her head and opening her amethyst irises to look at him squarely. "I believe in you, Antares. I wouldn't be giving you this responsibility if I didn't... and if what I was saying wasn't true." "I shall also be there, Antares... and I speak for many in Subterra when I say that I think you are a worthy inheritor to your mother, Brynhild." Selene added softly, her dark, deep, unknowable eyes settling slowly on the young stallion. Antares looked back at her, although he clearly seemed a little unsettled, and the two studied each other before Selene's strange smile spread a little wider. "Yes. Good." Antares got the feeling she was responding to something apart from his reaction, like she was reading into him far deeper than he was able to read into her... before something gnawed at his senses, and the young stallion slowly turned his head to look at the back stairs of the library. A moment later, Discombobulation did the same, scowling, before the chimerical creature asked sourly: "And precisely what are you doing here?" "Hey. Hey. Don't be like that." Allonym said mildly from where he was calmly, complacently sitting on the steps, his cane resting against the stairs beside him and one of his energy drinks in his laced-together hands. Most of the eyes in the room stared at him, although he only visibly winced when the Nephilim turned her endless gaze on him, flinching away a little as he lowered his head and mumbled: "One of these things is not like the other..." "It's alright, Avatar. None of us here would do you serious harm... not at this moment in time, in any event." Selene said softly, but Allonym didn't seem to take this quite as reassurance, only mumbling a little as he shifted nervously. "We welcome your help, with open arms." "Ponies don't have arms." Allonym muttered mostly to himself, then he shifted a bit again nervously before clearing his throat, adding dryly as he half-raised the can to his lips: "Also, the whole staring at me thing? Not a great way to make me feel welcome and stuff." Silence fell for a few moments as Allonym sipped slowly at his drink, and then Celestia finally cleared her throat, tossing a pointed glance at Discombobulation when the Draconequus began to open his mouth before she returned her gaze calmly to Allonym. "Then if I may be direct, Allonym... why are you here? We can use all the help we can get, but we aren't all as appreciative of your... methods." "I know. You're mad at me. That's understandable." Allonym shook his head a bit, saying finally as he rose a single finger, gesturing with the can in his other hand. "In all fairness, I did try and warn Cowlick the ambush wouldn't go as well as planned-" "Maybe something a little more than just a warning was in order, Allonym... and why didn't you tell us about that giant monster on the march here?" Antares' voice was sharp, sending surprise through some of those sitting at the table, although Celestia and Selene both only looked at the young stallion quietly as he sat up and asked almost angrily: "Well? You said you were here to help!" Allonym grumbled a bit, shifting on the stairs as he sipped at his drink again before replying in a surlier voice: "I am here to help. You don't have to be all... bossy now, Antares. That's not cool. As much as I understand your frustration, yes, but you should be mad at the giant blob, not me. The giant blob made stronger and who got the week-long vacation from reality thanks to a certain other patchwork doll in this room..." "You know, there's a new biography of Quisling, I think you might like it." Discombobulation remarked sourly, glowering over at Allonym, but the Avatar only sipped moodily at the large can in his grip with a grunt. "Sure. No idea who that is." he replied after a moment, when the metal-armed Draconequus continued to glare, and now Discombobulation huffed in response and shifted awkwardly, gesturing lamely with one hand. "Uh, Norwegian guy, World War II traitor. The fact I have to explain this kind of takes the edge off my flow." Discombobulation paused, then he reached up and moodily rubbed at his metallic arm, adding mildly: "You're no fun at all, you know that? And I really hate not knowing if you're just playing along and lying to me or you're telling the truth. You're confusing, and I enjoy that, but you confuse me, and that's far less fun than when everyone else around me is confused." Allonym grunted, and then Celestia leaned forwards and asked quickly, before anyone else could further interrupt: "What kind of help are you offering us, Allonym? Especially because you've hinted in the past that the use of your powers doesn't come without some kind of cost." For a few moments, the chimerical creature hesitated, and then he sighed a little and nodded, shifting on the spot. "I'm offering... direct help, direct aid. I want to take part in the defense of Ponyville and I want to offer what abilities I do have to be put to use at the bridge. I can make minor adjustments to reality and descriptions without creating a flux or a recoil, or worst of all, a paradox... and I may not be as well outfitted power-wise as your standard Draconequus-" "Like Discord says, he's a poser." Discombobulation said seriously, looking around the table and nodding a few times to himself. Allonym looked at him sourly, and then the chimerical creature rose his hands with a huff. "It's not my fault that you're about as big a fraud and charlatan as Mr. Satan. Your hair's a little nicer, though. Just a little. Do you think their hair gives them power or something, because that's the only explanation I can think of for why most anime characters have crazy hairdos with the spikes and the defiance of gravity and the endless bottles of hairspray that must be required." "Could we get Discord's help as well?" Celestia asked curiously, and Discombobulation almost fell out of his chair as Allonym looked up in surprise, the latter which was mirrored by everyone around the table. For a few moments, there was silence, and then Celestia smiled a little before she shook her head slowly and said quietly: "I'm very well aware we need absolutely all the help we can get. Discord isn't our enemy, he's simply... what he is. And he would be a great help in dealing with what's to come, even if I know what we're asking is... short term." "You should never ask Draconequus for anything different: how much they cooperate and how long they stay depends entirely upon their whims, after all... and well, how much they happen to like the people they're working with, but that can change too." All the same, Discombobulation smiled a little over at Celestia, before he sighed and glanced over at Antares, adding drolly: "Do me a favor and keep the poser here. If you'll all excuse me, however, it seems that I need to go and tell a certain Draconequus that we absolutely do not require his help and want him to stay as far away from Ponyville as possible." With that, Discombobulation slowly climbed to his feet, standing up on the chair and bowing politely once before he swayed on the spot and clapped his hands beside his head, vanishing a moment later in a puff of neon smoke. Those gathered looked far from surprised, but Zecora turned hesitant eyes to Celestia after a moment, asking slowly: "Celestia, I trust you and the decisions you make... but are you sure this is the wisest course of action to take? Discombobulation I understand is a friend, and Allonym I see is... of a particular bend..." "Are you calling me gay?" Allonym asked mildly, looking up, and then he sipped slowly at the drink in his hand as the zebra gave him a moody look. "I'm not gay. Not even in the happy sense of the word. Do I look happy to you? I'm never happy. How dare you accuse me of being happy? Zebras." "I would ask you to treat me with more respect, but I have the feeling you have some mental defect." Zecora said mildly, and Allonym opened his mouth, then closed it slowly, only glowering at her before the zebra sighed and returned her eyes to Celestia, saying in a quieter voice: "As I recall, the Discord of this world started as a foe: how can you be sure he won't just work to bring us woe?" It was Twilight who answered, the Lich looking up and saying softly: "It's not in his nature to, Zecora. Besides, if he wanted to attack us... there have been many opportunities since he's been freed, and even when he was forced to fight us for Clockwork World... the only reason he did was to save his own life. In a way, he was even trying to save us... better to be surrounded by chaos than death, by his own admission." The zebra looked for a few moments at the violet mare, and then she softened and smiled a little, saying quietly: "Twilight Sparkle, you'll never change... seeing the best in everyone, no matter how strange. I wish I could be as open-minded as you are, but my clan and I are much less open to the bizarre. We never really recovered after our dealings with Veliuona the witch, and even now... it's hard to make my views switch. But Twilight, whether or not you're of a... a different mold... I want you to know that you are still my friend when all is told." Twilight bowed her head with a blush, and Zecora nodded after a moment, drawing her eyes to Celestia. "So if Twilight speaks for him as well, then I suppose your plan is swell." "I hope so, Zecora. I'm not entirely sure how Discord will respond but... I do have faith that Discombobulation will be able to figure out one way to get him to help us." Celestia hesitated, then she looked over at Allonym, asking quietly: "How much will you be able to help us?" "Enough, I hope, to make a difference." Allonym replied quietly, then he shook the now-empty can in his hand before grumbling and tossing it away, and it vanished after a moment before the Draconequus sighed and sat back, rubbing slowly at his face with one hand. "I can help with the weather conditions, my powers allow for that much. And even though I'm an absolute wimp I can stand on the front lines and draw their attention. Thanks to my uh... special position given to me by management, I'm just about indestructible. I just wish that also came with being immune to pain and actually being able to defend myself more properly." He quieted, and Celestia nodded slowly before her eyes turned to Prestige, asking the young mare quietly: "Would you be adverse to joining the front lines as well? We can use every little bit of magic we can get to ensure the storm is powerful enough to drive the Takers to the ground." Prestige traded a look with Antares, who gazed at her with concern, but then she nodded slowly... before surprisingly, Meadowlark looked up and said quietly: "I'd also like to be present as field medic... if you're okay with that, Zecora. But I know you wanted to mix up more powerful potions, and I want to respect your traditions and privacy..." "I have no need to keep such arts secret from you, young Meadowlark... but I agree, you're ready for this, even though it will be no walk in the park." Zecora said quietly, nodding firmly before she turned her eyes to Celestia, adding softly: "I will remain in Ponyville and mix what potions and salves that I can make... I only hope that you won't need to use them, for all of our sake." Celestia nodded slowly, then turned her eyes to Greece, who hesitated before he said finally: "We won't have the carbines ready before tomorrow at the earliest... and even then, we'll only have a handful assembled, fancy-corn. But in an hour, the explosives should be ready... you'll have to travel carefully, though. They'll be volatile, and I'm not sure how you plan to detonate them..." "Leave it to me." Celestia smiled slightly, shaking her head and asking quietly: "They'll be able to level the entire highway of stone?" "Friend Illyria is examining the layout of the natural bridge as we speak now, he'll find the most vulnerable points to target with the few explosives we'll be able to provide." Greece answer, the dwarf nodding quickly before he hesitated, and asked finally: "Are you sure you want to go ahead with this, Baroness? I don't doubt in your wisdom, but we are acting with great haste..." Celestia nodded slowly, bowing her head forwards before she said quietly: "We have no choice. We have to put a stop to Cancer and his bride, and such a terrible force cannot be permitted to reach Ponyville. They'll overwhelm and destroy the village, and we can't let that happen." There was silence, and then Allonym snorted in amusement, murmuring: "Takers. Not bad. Simple, but somehow effective... and Cancer called his 'Queen' Griselda. But he's part chaos after all... he's as fond of wild references as any Ginnungagap entity." "Griselda..." Antares seemed to taste the word, then he shivered and looked over at the Draconequus, asking quietly: "What can you tell us about Cancer, and... Griselda, Allonym? Please. Please tell us. Please don't hold anything back." "Kid..." Allonym hesitated, then he sighed before smiling faintly, shaking his head slowly as he closed his eyes. "Alright. Fine, let's break a few more rules, why not? The worst that can happen is that I get fired, right? Well. No, worse things than that could happen, but..." He quieted, looking over at the group as the table of ponies looked back at him, and then Allonym closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards, saying quietly: "I don't know all the details, but I can at least shed a little light on how Griselda came to be... and why Cancer was attracted to her in the first place..." Category:Transcript Category:Story